JEREMY Clarkson has said that young people are turning to drugs because they can’t afford a pint.
Last year, drivers caught with illegal drugs in their system outnumbered those under the influence of alcohol for the first time on record.
Jeremy Clarkson says young people are turning to drugs because pints are too expensive Credit: Adrian Sherratt
The presenter suggested that the shift from booze to drug culture among young people is due to expensive pints and cheap drugs Credit: Getty
These figures likely represented the tip of the iceberg, given most drugs – such as heroin or LSD – do not show up in road side tests, Jeremy wrote in his column for The Times.
Given around a fifth of road offences are committed by 17 to 24-year-olds – who account for just 6 per cent of all drivers – Jeremy reasoned that “every single young person” on the road must be on drugs, give or take.
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The former Top Gear presenter suggested that the shift from booze to drug culture among young people is a symptom of soaring alcohol costs and the easy availability of drugs.
“The problem, I’m afraid, is the supply of drugs,” he said.
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Jeremy said he was not surprised a third of young people do not drink these days Credit: Getty
Jeremy is the owner of Hawkstone Brewery and the pub, The Farmer’s Dog Credit: Adrian Sherratt
The farmer and journalist said it would be good to see young people spending nights out at the pub Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Jeremy said that legalising the drug business would mean dealers would be taxed – and drug prices would go up Credit: Getty
“When I was in my early twenties and therefore most at risk of succumbing to the temptation, they simply weren’t available.
“Today though, there’s a home delivery system in place that puts Amazon’s to shame.”
He claimed that in some affluent areas of the country, there are even “drugs honesty boxes”.
Compare a “decent joint of weed” – at around £3 or £5 – to the cost of a pint, Jeremy urged his readers.
Some London bars were reported to have surpassed an eye-watering £10 a pint this year, with the average cost steadily rising across the country.
It is perhaps not surprising then that youngsters are turning teetotal in droves.
The latest data suggests around a third of young people aged 16 to 24 do not drink – a rise of about ten percent compared to a decade ago.
Jeremy claims that the likelihood more and more kids will turn to drugs will increase if they remain “cheaper than booze”.
“If the playing field is levelled, then they will be more likely to go to the pub with their mates for a night out, which is healthy and normal,” he said.
As a pub and brewery owner, Jeremy joked that he was all for encouraging younger crowds to go out for a pint now and again.
One of the reasons drug dealers are doing so well is the fact that it’s an untaxed business, he added.
While he admitted he abhorred the reek of cannabis smoke and doesn’t want the streets to “smell like Seattle”, he argued that the £9.4 billion generated by the drug market could be taxed if legalised – levelling out drugs and booze prices.
“Is it time for the exciting new government that’s about to take the reins in Westminster to not just decriminalise cannabis and coke and ket, but to let business make it and sell it to us?” he said.
Drunk or drugged up, encountering either user on the road is not ideal, said Jeremy, but argued that one is certainly preferable to the other.
“I don’t want to belittle either offence but when I’m driving along, it’s a worry if the person going the other way has had two pints.
“But if he’s had two grams, that’s absolutely terrifying.”
